Bottle carrier



April 12, 1960 c. c. FREEMAN' BOTTLE CARRIER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 22, 1959 INVENTOR. @Zaude 1 2*" eezzzmz w/fiw a fig.

April 12, 1960 c. c. FREEMAN BOTTLE CARRIER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 22, 1959 INVENTOR. CZaade F 'reeman law/M l I l l l April 12, 1960 c. c. FREEMAN BOTTLE CARRIER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 22, 1959 @Zaucie FFeZ 'i cQ Z IL iinited 2,932,425 BOTTLE CARRIER Claude C. Freeman, Fort Worth, Tex., assignor to Container Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application January 22, 1959, Serial No. 7as,3s9

1 Claim. or. 220-113 The present invention relates to bottle carriers formed of f oldable paperboard and more particularly relatesto carriers of collapsible form adapted to be quickly set up for use.

' An object of the invention is to provide an improved form of carrier for bottles or similar articles such as cans, whereby a strong and durable carrier may be provided from paperboard of minimum strength and thickness.

Another object of the invention is toprovide novel reinforcing means'whereby relatively weaker portions of a carrier may be strengthened without unduly adding to the amount of material entering into the construction of "the carrier.

at the mid portion of one or both of the. side walls.

A still further object of the invention is to take advantage of the additional reinforcing structure by adding reinforcement to the bottom of the carrier and providing for redistribution of the stresses whereby a substantial amount of the weight of the filled bottles will be imposed tates: atentfO directly upon a central handle member rather than indirectly through the side walls.

In the drawings: 7

Fig. 1' is a plan view of a preferred form of paperboard blank from which the carrier ot the present invention may be formed;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the carrier in set up condition;

Fig. 3 is a view showing, the carrier in its flat, collapsed condition;

Fig. 4 is a partial plan view of the blank showing initial steps in the gluing sequence;

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are plan views showing additional steps in the gluing sequence; and

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view, taken on line 8--8 of Fig. 2, showing the reinforcing elements forthe side walls and bottom of the carrier.

The carrier of the present invention is preferably formed from a single blank of folding paperboard and, as herein shown, is embodied in aconstruction designed to hold twelve bottles of beverage arranged in two rows of six each. The exact number of bottles or other articles which the carrier is designed to carry is not material however the invention is particularly advantageous for carriers that are relatively long compared with their width.

The exact style of carrier which the present invention is designed to improve is also not material. As shown, the invention is applied to a carrier of the general form disclosed in Slevin Patent, No. 2,367,066. In constructing an elongated carrier of this type from relatively lightweight folding paperboard the carrier tends to buckle 2,932,425 Patented Apr. 12, 1960 to extend to the bottom panel of the carrier and a strip is cut from within the contour of this panel portion and is of a length which provides an anchoring tab carried by its end so the strip may extend from the handle panel to a side wall and be anchored thereto near the central part of the side wall. A second auxiliary panel portion is preferably provided which also may become part of the handle member and this second panel portion also provides an anchoring strip cut from Within its contour so there may be anchoring strips extending outwardly from the handle member and attached to each side wall near its central part. The first mentioned auxiliary panel in the present instance is formed of such width thata portion at its free edge may be folded over to lie'flat on the bottom panel of the carrier. Thus one row of bottles may rest on this folded-over section of'the auxiliary panel.

r Referring more particularly to the drawings, the blank for'the-carrier as shown in Fig. l is suitably cut and crease scored to provide a bottom panel 10 creased centrally at 11 toform a two-section, downwardly foldable bottom, the sections being indicated at 10a and 10b.

The side walls and handle for the carrier as well as the dividers for the bottles are each formed from a single panel as indicated at 12 and 13. The side walls are indicated at 14 and 15 and their attached handle sections are indicated at 16 and 17. The connectingstrips joining 21a and 21b.

End wall sections 23 and 24 are formed at one edge of the blank and opposite end wall sections 25 and 26 are formed at the other edge. The sections 23 and 24 are severed from the handle sections along cuts 27 and 28 which extend at an inclination toward the outer edge of the handle section.

The end wallsections are hingedly connected to the side walls along. respective crease'lines 23a, 24a, 25a, and 26a.

Attaching flaps 30 and 31 are hingedly carried by end wall sections 23 and 24 respectively, and similar attaching of the adjacent rows of bottles or other-articles, within the carrier for reinforcing the handle sections of the carrier and forreinforcing the central portion of .the'body of the carrier intermediate its ends. For this purpose the carrier blank is extended to include a divider panel 36 foldably joined at 37 to panel 13 along the outer edge ,ofi handle section 17 The divider panel 36 is made of a width at least sufiicient to extend near the bottom panel when the carrier is set up, but in the preferred form of the invention the panel 36 is made of a width to .bring it substantially adjacent the bottom panel andan auxiliary panel 38 is provided as an extension, hingedly joinedifo panel 36 along fold line 39'. When the carrier is set up the panel 38 may lie fiat upon one-half the bottom at the carrier and bottles, resting upon such panel, will have a substantial portion of their weight imposed upon the divider panel 36.

For additionally reinforcing the handle sections a strip 40 is provided hinged at 41 along the edge of handle section 16. Finger openings 42, 43, 44 and 45 are preferably cut in the respective panels 40, 16, 17 and 36, all of which openings are in registration when the carrier is set up.

In order to reinforce one side of the central portion of the body of the carrier a strip 48 is cut from within the contour of panel 36. This strip is free from the panel except for a hinge connection along fold line 49. The strip 48 is preferably inclined to the top edge of the carrier whereby, when it is in operative position, it will generally conform with the inclination of the strips 21, 21 joining the handle and side sections 17 and 15. On the free end of the strip 48 there is provided an attaching portion 50 also cut from within the contour of the panel 36. The attaching portion 50 is hinged at 51 along a fold line extending parallel with hinge line 49 of the strip 48. Both hinge lines 49 and 51 are in parallelism with the hinge lines 21a and 21b of the strips 21, 21. The hinge lines 49 and 51 are preferably, although not necessarily, placed so that they will be in substantial juxtaposition with the hinge lines of strips 21 that are placed centrally of the carrier so that the strip 48 may be disposed in close contact with the central strip 21. The attaching portion 50 may be in the form of a simple tab on the end of the strip 48 or may be formed as shown, having parts extending on each side of the hinge line 51. As will be made clear as the description proceeds, the attaching portion or tab is adapted to be secured to the inside face of side wall section 15 as the carrier is being constructed.

The present invention includes additional means adapted to reinforce the central part of the body portion. As herein shown, this means is provided by forming an extended panel 54 hinged to panel 36 along fold line 55. This hinge line is preferably of a length somewhat shorter than the width of panel 54 and is inset from the outer edge of panel 36. A line of cut at each end of the fold line extends to the free edge of the panel 36 and provides a pair of attaching areas 56 and 57 at each side of the inner end portion of the hinged panel 54. Within the contour of the hinged panel 54 a hinged strip 58 is formed similar to the strip 48. The strip 58 is hinged along fold line 59 and carries an attaching portion 60 connected to the strip along fold line 61. Similar to the portion 50, the attaching portion 60 preferably has parts disposed on each side of the hinge line 61. It is to be noted that the strip 58 and attaching portion 60, in the blank as laid out flat is a mirror image of the strip 50 and attached portion 51. When the panel 54 with strip 58 is folded over to a position flat against panel 36, the two strips and attaching portions are preferably in registration. With the panel 54 folded against panel 36 and the two panels enclosed between the two handle sections, the attaching portions on the two strips 48 and 58 may be secured on the opposite inner faces of the respective side wall sections 14 and 15. The central part of the carrier is thus substantially strengthened. This is of particular advantage in relatively elongated carriers, such as those designated for twelve bottles. By such construction the paperboard from which the carrier is formed my be of thinner caliper than would be feasible without central reinforcement.

As the blank is moved lengthwise through the gluing machine adhesive is applied to the panel 54 except over the strip 58 and attaching portion 60. See Fig. 1. The panel 54 is then folded into a position in which it will lie fiat against its attached panel 36. See Fig. 4. As a next step, adhesive is applied to the exposed surface of hinged strip 58 and its attaching portion 60. At the same time adhesive may be applied to the edge portion of panel 36 along its fold line connection with handle section 17. Likewise, adhesive is applied to the extended parts 56 and 57 on panel 36.

Adhesive is also applied to the end portion of attaching flap 31 which is adjacent the end of handle section 17, and flap 31 is folded over to lie flat against the end wall section 24 and handle section 17, as indicated in Fig. 4 by broken lines. It is to be noted that no adherence is effected between the attaching flap and the end wall section 24, as such end wall section must remain free to swing relatively to the attaching flap.

Adhesive is also applied to the edge portion of the panel 36 at 36a remote from the edge to which panel 54 is attached. Panel 36, carrying the panel 54 flat thereagainst, will next be folded to lie fiat against the handle section 17, the inturned attaching flap 31, and the side wall section 15. See Fig. 5. At the same time, or prior to this folding operation for panel 36, the extension panel 38 on the free edge of panel 36 is folded so it will lie on the outer surface of the panel 36, as viewed in Fig. 5.

It is to be noted that the glued surface of the reinforcing strip 58 formed in panel 54 will be brought over against the center connecting strip 21 formed in panel 12, and the glued attaching portion 60 will come to rest against the side wall section 15. It is not necessary in every case to glue the reinforcing strip to its adjacent connecting strip 21 but such gluing is preferred.

Adhesive is applied to the end portion of attaching flap 32, as indicated at 3211, so that this flap, when folded to lie against the end portion of handle section 16, will adhere to such section. The remainder of flap 32 is left free of adhesive over the area where such flap is in juxtaposition with the end of side wall 14 and the end connecting strip 20.

Adhesive is applied to the end portion of attaching flap 30, as indicated at 30a, which is to be attached to the adjacent end portion of handle section 16.

The end wall sections 25 and 26, carrying flap's 32 and 33 respectively, are then folded over so that the glued area of flap 32 bears against the handle section 16, and the glued areas of flap 33 bear against the handle section 17, and the projecting portions 56 and 57 on panel 36. At the same time the flap 30 is folded over so that its glued area will bear against the adjacent end of handle section 16. See Fig. 6.

The carrier as thus partially formed is ready for the next folding op'eration as soon as adhesive has been applied to the appropriate parts. As herein indicated, adhesive is applied to the exposed face of attaching flap 32. See Fig. 6. Likewise, adhesive is applied to the exposed face of flap 30 with which the edge portion of panel 36 is adapted to contact. Additionally, adhesive is applied to the reinforcing strip 48 and attaching portion 50 carried thereby.

In usual practice the carrier as partially formed, illustrated in Fig. 6 may be moved at right angles to its original direction of movement and will be folded along the central fold line 11 in the bottom panel to bring the parts shown on the left of fold line 11, as viewed in Fig. 6, into position against the parts on the right hand side of such fold line. This results in the arrangement shown in Fig. 7. The two attaching strips 32 and 33 are thus brought into face to face relation and the attaching strip 30 and adjacent end portion of the panel 36 will likewise be brought together. The reinforcing strip 48 will be brought against the central connecting strip 20 and the attaching portion 50 on the strip 48 will be brought against the interior face of the side wall section 14.

The final steps are to apply adhesive to the outer edge portion of handle section 17 as indicated at 17a and fold the reinforcing strip 40 over against this glued area. The completed fiat folded carrier in the condition illustrated in Fig. 3 Will then be held under suitable pressure until the adhesive has set.

The carrier as so constructed is ready for delivery flat to the user to be by such user set up and filled with bottles. In order to bring the carrier to its set-up or expanded condition it is only necessary to apply inward pressure upon the two opposite ends of the flattened carrier.

In order to maintain the carrier in set up condition hook elements 65 and 66 are formed on the companion strips 30 and 31, and similar hook elements are formed on strips 32 and 33, as indicated at 67 and 68. The bottom panel is suitably notched at 69 and 70 and when the carrier is set up the notched ends of the bottom panel may be pushed up to snap into place above the hooks. As soon as bottles are delivered to the carrier the bottom may be forced off the hooks. At this stage however, the carrier being filled will be prevented from collapsing.

When the carrier is brought to expanded condition the auxiliary bottom panel 38 is free to be folded to lie flat against one of the bottom sections and at right angles to the panel 36. The weight of bottles resting upon this auxiliary bottom panel will be transmitted to a substantial extent to the handle section through the panel 36 and thus less weight is imposed upon the side wall and connecting strips on the side of the carrier on which panel 38 extends.

The panel 36 not only serves as a means for carrying a substantial portion of the weight of one row of bottles but also keeps separated the bottles in the two adjacent longitudinal rows, reducing the tendency of the bottles to shift as well as preventing direct bottle to bottle contact between such rows. Further advantage is taken of the panel 36 as it provides the parts 48 and 50 serving to strengthen the mid portion of the carrier on one side. Additionally, the panel 36, by carrying supplemental panel 54, adds a second reinforcing element to the carrier. Thus by their construction and arrangement, these panels provide for eflicient assembly of the carrier on high speed gluing machines, as it is necessary only to apply adhesive to appropriate parts and fold them inward over the blanks as they are conveyed through the gluing machine.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the present invention provides an effective form of bottle carrier, well suited to contain two relatively extended rows of bottles. The carrier, by being reinforced centrally between its ends, may be produced from relatively light weight paperboard. The panels that provide the central reinforcement also provide added handle strength and, by additionally providing a supplemental bottom panel at the lower edge embodiment of the invention, numerous changes may be made in the construction without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claim rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

I claim:

A collapsible carrier for bottles and the like, said carrier being formed of foldable paperboard and comprising an elongat d, rectangular bottom panel, an elongated, composite side wall section and handle section panel hinged on each longitudinal edge of the bottom panel, each composite panel being formed with a plurality of centrally spaced parallel slits inclined with respect to the edges of the bottom panel, said slits being centrally located to form laterally extending partition strips connecting the handle and side wall sections, said handle sections being adapted to be brought into face-to-face relation, a sectional end wall panel hingedly connected to each of the opposite ends of each side wall section, each pair of adjacent sectional end wall panels forming a complete end wall, attaching flaps hingedly carried on the free edge of each end wall panel, said attaching flaps being adapted to be folded inwardly of the carrier and secured in face-to-face relation, a rectangular divider panel hingedly carried on the longitudinal free edge of one of the handle sections, said divider panel being adapted to be folded in and to have its edge portion adjacent its hinge connection received between the handle sections when brought into face-to-face relation, said divider panel also having a length adapting its longitudinal end portions to be received between the end wall panel attaching flaps and secured to such flaps, and one of the endportions of the divider panel having a generally rectangular extension panel hinged thereon adapted to be folded flatwise upon the divider panel, the edge portion of the divider panel having slits cut therein extending inwardly from its end and defining portions of the opposite edges of the ex tension panel, the line of hinge of the extension panel be ing joined with the cuts, said cuts being spaced laterally inward from the longitudinal edges of the divider panel and providing attaching portions at opposite corners of the divider panel, the line of hinge of the extension panel being spaced inward from the end of the divider panel a distance greater than the inward extent of the attaching flaps on the end wall panels, whereby, when the end wall panels are secured in face-to-face relation on the slit end of the divider panel, the hinge line of the extension panel will be spaced inwardly from the free edges of the attaching flaps.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,731,170 Bergstein Jan. 17, 1956 2,755,960 Kramer July 24, 1956 2,820,572 Ringler Jan. 21, 1958 2,830,726 Foster Apr. 15, 1958 2,844,280 Ringler July 22, 1958 2,844,281 Ringler July 22, 1958 

